Rhubarb!
I can't be certain, as there is no date on this article, but I believe the baseball brouhaha highlighted in the last paragraph below took place 57 years ago today, on August 15, 1965, at Ralph Welch Park in Pomona.
I was only 10 years old at the time, and my dad was the coach of the Covina American Legion Post 207 team. I was sitting with a friend on the grass near the first base foul line watching the game, when something happened between a Covina baserunner and the Pomona first baseman that resulted in angry words and then blows being exchanged.
WELL! Not only did both dugouts instantly empty onto the field to join in the rhubarb, half the fans in the bleachers charged the field, too, and my younger friend and I found ourselves directly in the path of this rampaging stampede of red-hot angry Covina men who literally ran right over the top of both of us. I thought we were going to be trampled to death! We scrambled to get out of the way and then watched as about three dozen players and fans shouted, shoved and threw fists at each other. It was the first time I'd ever seen a real man's fight in person. Boy, was it exciting!
I don't recall if any of the players or fans were ejected for fighting, but my friend and I were kicked out of the park only a few minutes later when we were discovered to have dug up a rather sizable area of sod from the sidelines. We had to watch the rest of the game from outside the fence. Our parents were not pleased! Definitely a day to remember. ^_^
PS: Covina Post 207 was eliminated in the Area playoff that year, but went on to win First Place in the 72-team Anaheim American Legion Baseball Tournament later in August. It was the best possible way for my dad to end his 8-year stint coaching youth baseball in West Covina and Covina. :)
I was only 10 years old at the time, and my dad was the coach of the Covina American Legion Post 207 team. I was sitting with a friend on the grass near the first base foul line watching the game, when something happened between a Covina baserunner and the Pomona first baseman that resulted in angry words and then blows being exchanged.
WELL! Not only did both dugouts instantly empty onto the field to join in the rhubarb, half the fans in the bleachers charged the field, too, and my younger friend and I found ourselves directly in the path of this rampaging stampede of red-hot angry Covina men who literally ran right over the top of both of us. I thought we were going to be trampled to death! We scrambled to get out of the way and then watched as about three dozen players and fans shouted, shoved and threw fists at each other. It was the first time I'd ever seen a real man's fight in person. Boy, was it exciting!
I don't recall if any of the players or fans were ejected for fighting, but my friend and I were kicked out of the park only a few minutes later when we were discovered to have dug up a rather sizable area of sod from the sidelines. We had to watch the rest of the game from outside the fence. Our parents were not pleased! Definitely a day to remember. ^_^
PS: Covina Post 207 was eliminated in the Area playoff that year, but went on to win First Place in the 72-team Anaheim American Legion Baseball Tournament later in August. It was the best possible way for my dad to end his 8-year stint coaching youth baseball in West Covina and Covina. :)